Antiheroine: Silhouettes
by vkerinav
Summary: Supplement to Antiheroine. Views and impressions of Kara Shepard through the eyes of her companions. Dated, but still readable.
1. An Unexpected Rescue

**Note: Welcome, thanks for reading, review if you're so inclined. Parts three and four are already written, and will likely be posted after I finish part two. After that, it's on to the main story.**

Tali'Zora swallowed her fear as the warehouse door closed behind her. The place was big, and dark, with piles of crates providing an excess of places to hide. It didn't escape her notice that she had walked into the perfect place for a trap, but she supposed that also made it the ideal space to conduct illicit business. She would have felt much better if she could have purchased a couple of krogan mercenaries to back her up.

Without walking farther in, she could see three men standing near the center of the room, in a circle of bright light cast from a lamp overhead, a Turian, a Salarian, and a human. They were each wearing armor, with hard-sealed helmets. Perhaps the Shadow Broker thought that she might be the trap? It was reassuring to think that he or she might feel just as vulnerable as she did.

Not very reassuring, though, Tali decided. She was the one facing three tough-looking mercenaries. "Have you got the information?" the Turian demanded, as she approached.

"Where's the Shadow Broker?"

"He'll be here," the Turian said, "as soon as we verify that what you've brought is worth it."

"That wasn't the deal." She started to step backwards, but her suite registered a noise behind her. More mercenaries? She had a few handmade grenades, lots of flash but not much bang, that were her only hope of escape.

"Well, if you don't want to cooperate, we'll just have to kill you, and take what we came for." He raised his rifle, but didn't aim yet.

Tali reached for her first grenade, but a flash of red caught her eye. A human woman had planted herself firmly between Tali and the mercenaries, her hair bright red in the harsh light.

The young Quarian's first impulse was to be relieved, except the human wasn't wearing armor, and didn't appear to have a weapon. It didn't stop her from announcing, rather loudly, "Back off. She's under my protection."

Did that sort of thing work? Tali didn't have long to wonder before the Turian swung his rifle at the woman.

She stepped back, catching the weapon as it passed, twisting it around and shoving him into a stack of crates. She had already moved on, the faint blue glow of a biotic field wrapping itself around the Salarian's rifle as it flew out of his hands and into her.

Then she crashed into the human male, bringing them both to the ground.

By then the Turian had recovered, raising his rifle to fire on the woman. Tali threw herself forward, sweeping his legs out from under him. He dropped the rifle reflexively, as he tried to catch himself. She snatched it up and stepped away before he could collect himself, aiming carefully. The Salarian tried to get behind her, but she pointed the weapon at him, and gestured that he should join the Turian, up against the crates.

A Turian in CSec armor and a uniformed human appeared, both waving rifles. "What they hell?" the human demanded. The Turian turned his weapon on Tali's prisoners.

Tali sighed in relief, and dropped her rifle. She turned to thank the red-haired woman for the timely rescue.

The woman was watching her, her narrow lips curved upward at the corners. "I'm Kara Shepard, with the Systems Alliance. Thanks for watching my back."

Tali smiled in response, though she knew the human couldn't see the expression. "Thanks for the rescue, Kara."

One corner of Kara's mouth curled up further. "It's what I do."

Tali wondered if she'd been rescued by a madwoman.


	2. Rules of Engagement

**Note:** Took a bit longer than I expected to finish this. Thanks for reading, review if you're so inclined.

Garrus pressed his hand against the scanner, and collected the drinks laid out on the bar. It'd been a long time since he'd been in this particular pub, preferring louder, and more popular, joints, like Flux, but he wasn't adverse to drinking quietly with a friend or two. He carried the drinks back to their table and passed them around.

Honestly, he'd expected Kara Shepard to seek out the company of her own kind, not a pair of aliens she'd just met, to celebrate her new status. When the Council gave her Spectre status, she acted like she expected it, and had even appeared-if his knowledge of human expressions held out-disappointed. Even if she didn't care about power for herself, it was an opportunity to do some good, unfettered by the regulations which defined CSec.

"Thanks Garrus," Shepard muttered, taking a sip of her drink. He could almost see her planning; the unfocused stare and neutral expression, and her obliviousness to her companions. It was Tali's insistence, more than his offer to pay for drinks, that had kept her from returning to her own quarters immediately, but she still asked for somewhere quiet.

"So, Tali, you've had a chance to get to know Shepard. What do you think?" Garrus asked. One red eyebrow arched in query, as Shepard's green eyes focused on the Quarian.

"She's right here, Garrus," Tali said, though the opaque gasses inside her helmet made it impossible to tell if she'd noticed Shepard's new attentiveness.

"I was thinking I might take a break from CSec, see how Spectres do things. Do you think-"

Shepard's eyes locked on to his, cutting him off. Something told him she hadn't forgotten the incident in Doctor Michel's office.

"Look, Shepard, I saw an opportunity and I took it. Do you really think you could have talked them down?"

"Yes," she said, pausing for another sip from her glass. "They were trapped, Garrus; desperate. If you'd offered them a way out, they'd have taken it."

"Shepard, they had that chance before you arrived. The only thing you added to the discussion was another two targets."

"Including a uniformed Alliance officer," she reminded him. She meant Lieutenant Alenko, who, unlike her, had been armed, but not armored.

"Let's say you're right," Garrus said, not quite willing concede that she was. "I couldn't just let them go. They were dangerous criminals."

He could tell, the moment he finished saying it, that he'd taken the wrong tack. Her eyes narrowed angrily, but she took a slow breath before she spoke. "That justifies murder? They were thieves, not killers."

Murder? "You're calling me a murderer?"

"Yes," Shepard answered, bluntly. "When you signed on with CSec, you accepted certain risks. You had armor and kinetic barriers. It wasn't your place to take the first shot."

"Is that how you handle all your engagements?"

Shepard laughed. "The ones with guns, yes. The rest I take head-on." She drained her glass, then leaned forward. "I'm willing to bring you along, Garrus. I'm going to need the help. You follow my rules, though, and that means we do things properly. No killing, if it can be avoided."

"Got it, commander."

The red-haired woman nodded, leaned back and closed her eyes. Even relaxing in a bar she radiated confidence, but he still wondered at the Council's choice. She could fight, but being a Spectre was about much more than that. He had witnessed her latest argument with Udina, the human Ambassador, when she had presented Tali's evidence against Saren. Udina, in typical anthropocentric manner, wanted to march before the council and demand action immediately.

"Oh, get your head out of your ass, Udina. If you do that, the Council will assume we faked the recording, hired Tali to 'find' it, and they'll send us away. Then you'll drone on about how they hate humans, which they might if they take you as representative, while Saren continues his rampage unopposed."

It had worked, thankfully-Shepard's analysis was mostly correct, but CSec's best technicians would still have studied the Geth data core Tali recovered, and confirmed that it, and the recording, were genuine. He couldn't say who they would have sent after Saren, but it may not have been the first human Spectre.

Not that Shepard seemed to care much for the privilege. Her world view, as much as he could make it out, placed humanity on the periphery of a much older and larger galactic community, in which they shouldn't play a uniquely important role.

"So you're the first human Spectre now, Shepard. How does it feel?"

The woman's face twitched, settling on irritation. "No different from being the heroine of Elysium," she said, her voice bitter and angry. "Like the galaxy rewards killing more than life. Well, I'm not a defender of the fucking righteous, and that includes the Council. I'll stop Saren, because someone has to, but they'll not make me into a fucking action figure. To hell with them."

He stared at her in surprise. She had been deferential to the Council during their meeting-no, he realized, she had been polite. She was diplomatic, concealing her distaste because, for the present, she needed them. Had she not, would she have treated them as she did Udina? "What's wrong with the Council?"

Shepard didn't answer, staring mournfully at her empty glass.

"Another drink?"

"No." She turned her focus back to him. "That's not an easy question, Garrus, and I can't imagine you'd like my answer."

He waited for her to begin, but she didn't. "Let's hear it."

Shepard sighed, and rubbed at her brow. "The primary function of government is to legitimize and protect the interests of the ruling class. Human history is littered with examples, each more sophisticated than the last. Take our first encounter with an alien species. Our colonization efforts had helped relieve overpopulation on Earth, but the transit costs left most colonists in debt to a small number of corporations. The colonies were kept in a state of perpetual poverty, their wealth taken to service their debts.

"Back on Earth, the influx of colonial wealth improved the lives of millions in the developed areas of Asia and South America, while the former powers in Europe and North America struggled to keep up. Tensions were rising between nations, and between the colonies and Earth. It looked like war.

"Enter the Turians. An unprovoked attack by alien forces, a scenario met in our science fiction by unstoppable human courage and ingenuity. We united in outrage-or at least, those who didn't were marginalized and beaten down. The Systems Alliance made overtures towards your people, but never followed through with a serious attempt at peace. If it were not for the Council, it would have been full-scale war, and we would have lost.

"After the war, nothing had changed, except the dissidents were in prison for sedition. The rest of humanity was more or less convinced of the need for unity against what the Alliance was only too happy to claim as an ongoing alien threat, now focused on the Batarians. That's a different story, though."

Garrus eyed the human warily. He didn't like her answer. Did anyone else know that the Council had made an antigovernment radical into a Spectre, or did they simply think of her as individualistic and impertinent? "You're not planning anything illegal, are you?" he demanded suddenly. He wished he'd kept his mouth shut. Maybe he should have played along, so that he could keep track of her in case she went renegade-radicals were always dangerous, and well-trained ones even more so.

"How can you even ask her that?" Tali demanded. Young and impressionable, Garrus could understand why Shepard might want her around. Something else for him to watch out for.

"Oh, Garrus and I are on opposite sides in a conflict as old as civilization," Shepard said. Her green eyes were focused on him, not the Quarian, and uncomfortably intense. "You know as well as I do that Spectres operate outside the law."

That much was true, but it didn't answer his question. He decided to try again. "You won't use your position to advance your own goals?" That was, he decided, an awful question. What had happened to his CSec training? He was supposed to know how to deal with anything.

Shepard's lips pressed into a thin line, an attempted to suppress laughter that revealed itself in her eyes. "What you mean to say is; do you intend to use your position to act against the Council. Only with words."

Garrus nodded slowly. It wasn't ideal, but he understood the need for compromise, and he trusted the Council's judgement. Shepard would get the job done.


	3. A Test of Prowess

**Note:** Here's part three. Short and to the point.  
>-<p>

Humans were an amusing species. Short-lived and frail, they carried an impressive capacity for destruction, matched only by their arrogance. He wondered that they had not destroyed themselves, in one of their many displays of foolishness, but here they were, fighting for a place in the galaxy.

He had his eye on one of them. She was female, unarmored, striding down an empty corridor in the Wards. She had no weapons that he could see, and seemed entirely unaware of her surroundings. He wondered how this poor excuse for a soldier had gained such a reputation. Rumor was she had defended a human colony against pirates all by herself. Only a fool trusted rumors, but only a fool discounted them completely. Perhaps she was more dangerous than she appeared.

He waited until she came near to his hiding place, and then he stepped out in from of her, aiming his pistol at her head.

Prepared for his attack or not, she delivered a spinning kicked that knocked the weapon from his hands, and dropped into a combat stance. Her eyes, a striking deep green, flicked briefly over his armor. "Don't tell me, Udina sent you."

He had worked with a few humans, enough to learn something of their expressions, and he believed she was being sarcastic. He found it odd that she did not appear intimidated by him. Most humans did. Had she faced a Krogan before?

He didn't bother to reply, throwing himself on her with a wild roar. She fell back, using his momentum to throw him. He could feel the light biotic field she wrapped him in, reducing his mass to make him easier to throw, then reversing to increase the force of the impact.

He recovered in time to parry her first punch, but her second landed solidly on his face, stunning him long enough for another kick to knock him backwards.

"Do I have to guess who I pissed off?" she demanded irritably, but she didn't let down her guard. That was fortunate for her, as he charged again, and he only just connected as she sidestepped. The impact knocked her against the wall.

He turned, swinging his armored fist towards her chest, but she ducked under him. He struck the wall with force enough to have cracked her ribs.

The woman wrenched his arm up behind him, and slammed him head-first into the opposite wall before he could pull it free.

He struggled to regain himself, and turned to find her facing him down with his own pistol aimed at his head, well within his suit's kinetic barriers. Nothing could have stopped her from shattering his skull, and splattering his brains along the corridor.

"Explain yourself," she said evenly. She was breathing heavily, and in some pain, but he knew she could've kept up the fight. If she were armored, she might even have stood a chance against him.

"Peace, Shepard," he told her. "No one sent me, I just wanted to test you."

One red eyebrow rose skeptically. "Oh?"

"I was hired to kill Fist, but I heard you took him down. Not bad."

"You do know he's not dead?"

The Krogan shrugged. "Dead, locked up, whatever. He's out of the way. Since you did it, I figured you should get the reward."

Her narrow lips curled in contempt. "Keep it." She lowered the pistol.

"What, you don't like money?"

"No," she replied. "And I don't like you."

He laughed. "I like you, Shepard. The name's Wrex. Are you really going after Saren?"

She didn't reply, simply staring at him.

"I'd like to come along. There's certain to be some good fights along the way."

Still no reply. She stood there, watching him. He wondered if she was waiting for something, and what it might be. Did she expect some sudden revelation if she stared at him long enough? She couldn't be so foolish as to believe she could intimidate him into backing down. "No." The word came without warning, and hung uncomfortably between them. He rarely found silence uncomfortable.

"That's it?"

"Yes." She flipped his pistol over in her hand, offering it to him grip-first.

He took it. "You don't have to like me, Shepard, but I've been a battlemaster since before your species invented guns. I know violence. You need me."

"I might," she replied. Her meaning was as clear as if she'd said it plainly; No, I don't.


	4. Spotlights

**Note:** This one came as a surprise to me, but the idea for the interview suggested itself while I was writing the main storyline. What the Commander actually has to say will be revealed there, and not before.

Liara will be next, and that will be the last of these, unless inspiration strikes again. Please review if you enjoy.

xxxx

Emily Wong walked slowly out of the lift. Though the view of the nebula from the docking ring was beautiful, her attention was on the frigate that occupied the nearest berth. She was no expert on military matters, but the hull design was unfamiliar, and gleamed like new. _SSV Normandy_, read the blocky letter painted on the side.

She had received, out of nowhere, a cryptic message from the Commander Shepard, with little more than a promise of a career-making story and directions. The bored man at the desk in the Alliance offices had issued her a pass without argument, assigned her a pair of handsome marines as an escort, and sent her on.

Her escort clunked along behind her. Their armor looked terribly uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but wonder what they did if they needed to pee. Hold it in, probably.

However badly they needed to relieve themselves, the men continued to escort her into the Normandy's airlock, and through the decontamination cycle. The hatch opened, and she stepped onto the ship's bridge. With the ship in port, the deck was mostly quiet, the row of computer consoles dark. A man wearing lieutenant commander's insignia approached her, his polished boots making a softer thump than the armored marines. His hair showed a touch of grey, a nice compliment to his confident, blue-grey eyes.

"Miss Wong? Commander Shepard is in the briefing room, at the end of the deck." He gestured down the narrow bridge. The label over the door was nearly legible from where she stood.

"Thanks," Emily said, smiling brightly. "Hey-have you served with the Commander very long?"

"No, ma'am. The _Normandy_ is only three weeks out of dry dock. I was transferred here from the _Hastings_."

"So you don't have any idea what this is about?"

"No," he replied, dismissing her with a nod as he returned to his duties. "Excuse me, ma'am."

So, a new ship. A new design? The would explain the extra security. She would have liked to have a look around, but she knew her escort wouldn't take kindly to it, so she made her way straight to the briefing room. The door had a handprint scanner, and a set of buttons. She pressed the green one, and the heavy grey portal unsealed, before sliding aside.

Kara Shepard stopped talking in mid-sentence. She looked exactly like in the vids-dark red hair, unkempt, worn just a little over ear-length, elegant features, and striking green eyes. The only thing missing was her neatly pressed dress uniform, complete with medals. Instead, she wore civilians clothes, a tunic in an oriental style, and pale green, and black, straight legged trousers.

Emily didn't recognize the man Shepard conversed with, but he had on an Alliance uniform, with captain's tabs. She assumed the Normandy was his ship. He turned to face her, more than a little baffled by her presence. "Who are you?"

"Captain, this is a friend of mine-I have some business with her. If you'll excuse us." Though politely spoken, it sounded incredibly insubordinate to Emily, not just because it began with a lie. She dismissed him.

"Fine, Shepard," the Captain grumbled. He nodded at her on his way out, "Miss."

Very odd, Emily decided. Why would the captain defer to her like that? Shepard didn't say anything more, watching her in silence until the door had sealed again. Then she got up, and activated the lock. Another oddity.

"Thanks for coming, Miss Wong." Shepard spoke softly, hardly the loud, confident tone expected from an officer.

"Any good reporter would have, Commander. Your message was intriguingly vague."

"Kara," Shepard said, returning to her chair, and gesturing that Emily should join her. "I've got two stories for you. The first you can do with as you like, if you'll do what I ask with the second. Here." She turned her seat, and switch on the display. A brief command later, and a man's face appeared on the screen.

"This is Fist, one of the Citadel's many successful criminals. He's in CSec custody, pending trial for attempted murder. I put him there. While going through his office, I found this." Shepard drew a data disk from a pocket. "Fist's private records. Finances, CSec contacts-everything."

Without studying the data herself, Emily couldn't say exactly how much usable material it contained, but it did sound career-making. "So is this the first story, or the second?"

"I'm the second story. You're going to get an exclusive interview."

"Your fifteen minutes from Elysium is over, Commander. Why would I agree to that?" Emily asked. It was true-the Skyllian Blitz was old news, and Shepard mostly forgotten.

"Call me Kara," Shepard insisted. "I'm not in uniform, and you're not military."

"Kara," Emily repeated. It felt strange. She admired Shepard, or the media version of her, in many ways. That Shepard was down-to-earth, straight-talking, dedicated to the Alliance, and avoided media attention. This version was more enigmatic, and less heroic, but still Shepard. She deserved respect.

"I've been made a Council Spectre," Shepard said.

Emily stared in shock. That news would earn Shepard a prime place on every news outlet in Alliance space. An exclusive interview would bring them both added attention, only Kara hadn't been interested before. What had changed? She was a Spectre now, but that alone couldn't account for it. "Congratulations, Kara, but why do you want an interview now?"

"I have something important to say," Kara replied. "Something the Alliance will prefer was not heard."

Everyone with a pinch of sense knew the government was corrupt. Most people accepted it, and tried to get along, if not get a piece for themselves. Emily had always tried the former, but what Kara asked would put her on the front lines. That could make and end her career all at once, leaving her working for indie newsletters and extranet news vids. It was not the career of her dreams. "I can't help you, Commander. Sorry."

If the decision surprised Kara, it didn't show. She looked down at her hands, and the silence stretched interminably. What was she thinking? Why didn't she shout, announce her disappointment, make threats? Military people, especially marines, were supposed to the brash and intimidating, but Kara looked-

Emily couldn't decide how she looked. Out-of-place seemed like an apt description. More than a little masculine, with her short hair and modest outfit. She wore neither makeup nor jewelry. Her feet were bare.

Small, Emily decided. Kara looked small, uncertain, and not in control. She looked like the entire galaxy stood against her. The air of confidence and authority she projected remained, but could not entirely conceal the truth.

Kara looked up, shattering her perfect stillness as much as her soft voice rent the silence. Her green eyes were intense, confident-a far cry from the weakness Emily perceived just a moment before. "What is a journalist who won't tell the truth?"

A propagandist, Emily's brain supplied. To color a report with one's perspective was inevitable, but to omit or alter important details was to lie. Shepard had a right to explain her side. She sighed inwardly. She had never been able to control her sense of duty. "... you win, Kara," she said.

"No," Shepard replied, still holding Emily's gaze. "You did."


	5. Translations

A loud noise jolted Liara T'Soni out of her uncomfortable doze, and for a moment she struggled against her restraints in a panic. As she collected herself, she took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, since there was nothing else she could do. It had taken a few days of immobility, but she had finally accepted that she would die there, alone and helpless.

She wondered what the Krogan had in mind this time. With her locked in place by an ancient Prothean security device, she had no way of finding out, and that bothered her almost as much as her own foolishness, which had gotten her trapped to begin with. She knew better than to poke about with things she didn't understand, but circumstances hadn't allowed her the time she needed to learn them.

She had thought, at the time, that if she could activate the force-screen around the control chamber, that she'd be safe from the Krogan and his synthetic allies. She was. He had passed three days trying to reach her, wasting explosives, laser drills, and ammunition in failed attempts to breach the screen, or the surrounding walls. She didn't know whether to hope his failure continued or not.

Another rumbling sound-the lift starting, she decided-and then the screech of tearing metal, and a final-sounding crash. Was that screaming she heard? Certainly not-it was too high-pitched for the Krogan, and not at all like the robot's synthetic chittering.

A short time later, three people jumped down onto the platform before her cell. One was Turian, but the others-the one in the lead had no helmet. Its skin was a pale tan, and its features would have looked quite pleasing in a rich purple. The top of its head was covered in a dark, reddish mass that waved in the air as it walked, like a collection of fibers. Its species was familiar, but she was no anthropologist, and had not kept up on the more obscure recent additions to the galactic community. Still, she decided; they were potential help.

"Hey! Over here!" she shouted, hoping to catch their attention. Thankfully, it worked. The red-headed figure spotted her, and approached the screen.

It proceeded to speak, but not in the dominant Asari dialect, to which she had her translator set. Why couldn't the device have malfunctioned earlier, during one of the Krogan's ranting speeches? Or... had she forgotten to update its translation matrix? That would be just like her. "I'm sorry, I cannot understand you."

It started to speak more of its native tongue, and then paused. "I'm a friend," it said, in Liara's own native dialect. Its words were halting, uncertain, but spoken with a minimal accent. "Name is Kara Shepard. I understand you. How we help you?"

Liara was impressed. New races were typically belligerent, convinced of their own superiority, certainly not interested in contaminating themselves with alien views and cultures. Perhaps she had judged this one a little too quickly. "My name is Liara T'Soni. I was studying these Prothean ruins when I was attacked by a Krogan warlord and these synthetics-"

"Geth," the red-headed alien-Kara-stated.

"Really? They haven't been seen beyond the veil in over three hundred years!"

Kara's expression became amused, but grew exasperated as it struggled for words, finally settling for a blunt, "Talk."

"Uh, right. Well, I ran in here. I knew the screen would keep them out, if I could activate it, but I pressed something I shouldn't have, and..." she waved her arms, as much as she could, apologetically.

"Shepard, the Geth have been here for days. I don't see how we're going to get past that screen if they couldn't."

"There isn't much they didn't try," Liara agreed, even before she realized her translator had worked perfectly on his language. She hoped the Kara wouldn't take offense, if it figured out the implications.

Kara grinned, and said something aside to the Turian. "You're a strange one, Shepard," he laughed.

Liara wondered what exactly the red-headed alien had said. It would probably bother her for days.

Kara turned back to face Liara. "We'll get you out," it said. It had a pleasant voice, mid-alto and warm, filled with confidence. Liara found herself nodding, reassured in spite of her conscious skepticism.

The redhead pressed its gloved hand against the screen. The barrier was hardly visible at all, but it shimmered and distorted evading the contact. Kara focused intently, and distortion increased. Biotics, Liara guessed. Her own abilities were being suppressed by her prison, or she would have tried to help. Either way, the barrier snapped back into place, and Kara staggered backwards, into the third figure.

It was, she guess, of the same species as the redhead. She could make out something of its features through its helmet, and while they were less Asari-like, they had a similar hue. Were they male and female? Experience had taught the Asari not to guess at which was which. Most species had strong reactions to their being confused with the opposite gender.

Liara closed her eyes. Her three rescuers had started discussing plans, most of which she couldn't understand, so she tried listening the voices, not the words. Kara's was soft, and yet had a solidity to it, and a remarkable confidence. She had no doubt it was in command of the squad. The other voice was deeper, but less imposing, and less pleasant to listen to.

"Doctor T'Soni?"

Her eyes opened, and she focused on the Turian. His voice had an amiability about it, in addition to the usual metallic resonance, and the mechanical translated inflection. "Yes?"

"Shepard has a plan. You can trust her-she can be a bit odd, but she has a way of making things work out."

She. So Kara was female. "Uh, what species is she?"

"Human. They've been around for the last forty years, doctor."

"I've been busy," she declared, sounding as defensive as she felt. So they'd been around for nearly half her life, and she hadn't even noticed them. Did he take it as some reflection on her lack of a social life? Her work, by necessity, isolated her from civilization. That was no excuse for her failure to update her translator, though-one ran into the most obscure species in the strangest places, and communication was preferable to violence.

Their conversation was cut short by a low rumbling, like a mining laser. It ran on for less than thirty seconds, and cut out. Kara's voice echoed in the silence.

"We're through, doc," the Turian told her. "Just a moment longer."

Liara watched him disappear into the lower level, and then turned her head. The cell she was in extended back to a larger Prothean complex, some of which had collapsed, or flooded with magma. The drill must have exposed another entrance, as she knew it couldn't cut through the complex walls.

Time seemed to drag on forever before Kara reappeared, with her two companions close behind. Liara sighed in relief. "You can shut down the fields from that panel," she said, nodding her head toward the console.

Kara went straight to it, but the other human interrupted her before she could do anything. He-assuming humans only had two genders, and this one was male-appeared to be objecting to releasing Liara's bonds. She wondered what he suspected her of. Thankfully, the female human overruled him with a sharp command, and deactivated the security field.

Liara felt herself falling. Her feet hit the ground, and, as her full weight fell on them, her legs buckled, and she fell forward.

Kara caught her.

Liara realized just how exhausted she was, short on sleep, and not having had anything to eat or drink in two days, but as she looked up into the face of her rescuer, she decided that the woman's elegant features were unusually beautiful even in pale brown, and her eyes the most exquisite green. Definitely the exhaustion, and extended solitude.

Thankfully, the redhead didn't appear to notice, helping her to sit against the console, and plying her with water and nutrient bars. They tasted awful, but she was too hungry to care, and devoured them gratefully. The human even allowed her to rest, despite the obvious impatience of her companions.

Liara watched Kara for signs that she'd noticed the other indignities her immobility had forced upon her, but there were none. If these humans had a ship nearby, she hoped it had a proper washroom. Nothing she could do about it now. "I'm ready," she declared.

She tried to stand-unsuccessfully-before accepting Kara's hand. The human's armored glove made for an uncomfortably impersonal experience, and Liara wondered what it would feel like to touch her skin.

Once on her feet, she felt the world go hazy, and she swayed. Low blood pressure, caused by sudden movement following the recent end of her unwilling fast. "I'll be fine," she insisted, responding to Kara's concerned expression. Her head cleared quickly, and she freed herself from the redhead's support. "Let's go. There's a lift at the center of the complex. It should take us to the surface."

Kara nodded, and led the way. Liara stumbled along behind her, with the other human and the Turian on either side. She felt a little better, but still tired, exhausted, and hungry. Part of it was hope, which had gradually pushed aside the weariness of despair. However, there were still questions she wanted to ask.

For example, what brought Kara and her people to Therum? Her? If that were true, why was access to her knowledge so inexplicably urgent? The Krogan had claimed that 'Saren' wanted her, but he never told her what for. Did Kara want her for the same reason? If so, could the human be trusted?

She knew that she couldn't trust the Krogan and his synthetic allies. Geth, Kara had called them. Geth. What were they doing beyond the Veil? Why were the allied with this Saren?

They arrived at the lift, which Kara activated. It rose slowly, the platform rising along a central shaft. They passed sealed doors and collapsed corridors as they ascended. At the top, they could see the faint blue glow of another barrier.

As they grew closer to it, Kara drew her pistol. She looked uneasy as she extended it toward Liara, grip first. She kept eye contact as she said something.

"Doctor, Shepard wants you take cover if there's any fighting. She says she'll handle the Krogan," Garrus told her.

Kara maintain eye contact with her until she nodded. She didn't like the idea of letting them fight alone, but she wasn't wearing armor, and she was too weak to use biotics. "Fine."

As they approached the top, Liara noticed the Krogan waiting for them, behind the barrier. The field switched off as the lift came to halt, and he lumbered in, flanked by six Geth. She wondered how he knew where to find them, but it hardly mattered. However he'd found them, he wouldn't let her go willingly.

"So you found a way to get the Asari out of her trap, human," the Krogan rumbled menacingly. "Great work. Now hand her over and I won't have to kill you."

Kara didn't respond, but turned to face Liara instead. It's your choice, Liara, she read in the human's green eyes. Don't go.

Goddess, she didn't know what to do, or what she was thinking. Who was this human, aside from a rescuer of Asari in distress? What were her goals, her likes, her secret pleasures. Anything at all, because she didn't know anything. Time to make a decision, with only the slightest idea of the consequences. So the Krogan was rude, abrasive, and violent; those were not atypical traits for his species, and said nothing of why he needed her. Kara had been nothing but kind, but that could be a common trait among humans, and a cover for darker intentions. That they were so Asari-like in appearance only made it more difficult to remain objective.

In the end, she didn't trust the Krogan, and that made her worrying pointless. There was only one decision. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

The Krogan gestured his indifference. "Saren will settle for your corpse. Kill them all."

Liara ran for cover as the shooting started. She could hear Kara shouting orders, gunfire and crackling barriers. Once she found a place to hide, she peered out from behind it, in an effort to keep track of the battle. The Turian and the male human had taken up positions on opposite sides of the room, trading shots with the Geth. Kara had taken shelter behind the control console. The redhead appeared weaponless, but was using her biotics to drag the Geth out of cover, exposing them to her teammates' fire. The Krogan had disappeared.

Krogan were not known for subtly. If he was not facing his enemies openly, then he had some other goal, and Liara assumed that it involved her.

Her cover was one of several triangular pillars, each extending partway along the radii of the lift, leaving a large opening in the center, and a narrower band around the circumference. A search of the room revealed nothing less exposed, and still no sign of the Krogan.

She checked back in on the fight. Two of the Geth were nothing more than battered heaps of metal. Two more had maintained position, keeping their opponents pinned down, while the remaining two circled around. Liara contemplated the scene, trying to think of some way she could help. After years of self-reliance at a variety of archeological sites, which had included chasing off the odd pirate band, she hated feeling so uselessly dependent.

She tried aiming her borrowed pistol, and firing a few shots at the nearest Geth, but she had to duck back behind her cover when the machine fired its next burst at her. She peered out more cautiously, when a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind. An armored hand clamped over her mouth, while the other held her arms. She kicked uselessly at well-protected legs.

The Krogan. She struggled wildly, but he held her too tightly. Her attempts at shouts were muffled by his hand. Would he try to flee with her? They could both hear the electronic wail of another Geth, torn apart after its barriers failed. No. He would attempt to take Kara from behind.

Sure enough, he silenced her with a pistol to her head, and raised his shotgun. They were close enough that just a few shots would rip through Kara's barriers and armor. She had to do something, quickly.

Forcing herself to focus, Liara summoned a weak biotic field, and threw it at the Krogan's head. It wasn't powerful enough to do much harm, but he flinched away, dropping the pistol as he did.

"Kara!" Liara shouted, even as she fell to the ground. She saw the human slam into the Krogan, sending the shotgun flying, and watched in amazement as Kara went hand-to-hand against an opponent likely three times her mass.

Liara tried to reach the pistol, but her arm refused to obey, and she was left helpless again, passively watching someone protect her. She had to struggle to even stay awake.

She noticed, much to her surprise, that Kara didn't appear to need help. The human had excellent reflexes and agility, which kept her out of the path of the Krogan's heavy blows. Her combat forms had a bit of Asari style to them, enough to seamlessly incorporate her biotic abilities at key moments; enhancing the momentum of a punch, or upsetting her opponent's footwork.

It wasn't popular combat biotics, where tossing your opponent out of cover, or off a ledge, were effective tactics, but they also drained a biotic quickly, and could leave them disoriented for a few critical moments. These were Asari martial arts techniques, honed over thousands of years. The pace of hand-to-hand combat made it exceedingly difficult to concentrate on a field powerful enough to throw an opponent, but weaker fields could be just as effective, and didn't interrupt the concentration.

Kara's frequent punches against her off-balance opponent finally knocked him off his feet. She delivered a last, measured blow to his head, strong enough to knock him unconscious.

Then the lift shook. At least, Liara mistook it for the lift, and struggled not to anticipating the long drop to the bottom of the shaft, half a kilometer at least. The Turian's shout of, "Dammit, the complex is shaking," made her realize that it was a quake. Kara, shouting orders into her earpiece, helped Liara up. She found that she could walk, if she took it slowly.

Impatiently, the human simply picked her up, and then they were running, up the tunnel to the surface. The tremors stopped briefly, but came back stronger, bringing down bits of ceiling. Beads of moisture formed on the human's forehead as they ran, tracing the contours of her face before falling from the end of her nose. The male human and the Turian were ahead of them, but not by much.

The quakes slowed, and stopped. Liara tried to get her redheaded bearer to let her down, but the human just shook her head, and kept moving. The silky red strands on her head shook in intriguing, complex patterns.

Just as the could see daylight, the ground shook again, even harder than before. Kara, concentrating on running, didn't see the roof begin to crumble, but Liara did; summoning the last of her strength, the deflected a large chunk of rock. It cracked when it hit the wall. At least it didn't crack Kara's head, Liara thought, just before everything went dark.

**Note: This is the final chapter of Silhouettes. I know I've taken some liberties along the way. I'll be taking more. I'm pleased with how this chapter turned out especially, both for how it defines Shepard and humanity.**

**I'll be posting the first chapter of the main story soon. Thanks for reading; please review.**


	6. Records

A companion piece for Chapter 12 of Antiheroine, in advance; The service record of Kara Shepard as seen by Orlanis Septalus. If you don't know who that is, read Antiheroine.

* * *

><p><strong>ALLIANCE SERVICE RECORD<strong>

Name: Kara Elaine Shepard  
>Date of Birth: 11.4.2154<br>Parents: Hannah Shepard, father unknown  
>Rank: Commander, SSV Normandy<br>SN: 5923-AC-2826  
>Height: 1.72m<br>Hair: Red  
>Eyes: Green<br>Medical: Severe migraines due to L2 Biotic implant.  
>Honors: Star of Terra, for Heroic Actions on Elysium, 22.11.2176; Medal of Valor, for conduct on Torfan, 15.10.2178.<br>Status: Renegade  
>Qualifications: N7 Honors Graduate, wemphasis on biotics. Proficiency in Hacking. Advanced Training in Ship Command, Operations, and Tactics.  
>Notes:<br>Excellent leader, though relies on a relaxed, hands-off approach inconsistent with SA regs. Low tolerance for disrespectful behavior towards women or alien species. Critical of SA operations and tactics.

History:

Joined Systems Alliance Navy Marine Corps 5.1.2175: Aptitude scores appended. Recruitment Officer's Note: Recommend AOTP[Accelerated Officers Training Program]

Attended AOTP 21.1.2175 to 15.5.2176: Graduated top of class, commissioned at rank of Lieutenant.  
>Notes: Natural leader with strong tactical sense. Critical of SA goals and methods. Openly gay.<br>Biometric ID chip malfunction noted in medical report. Replacement surgery completed. -CMO  
>Recommendation: Colonial deployment, wpotential pirate/Batarian attacks. Avoid contact with classified operations.

5.6.2176 to 25.11.2176, Deployed to Elysium.  
>Incident Reports:<br>12.6.2176: Shepard assaulted a male officer(Lt. Cdr. Holdar), for unwanted sexual advances. Disciplinary Action: none.  
>22.7.2176: Shepard assaulted a male officer(Lt. Cdr. Holdar), including kicking him in the groin, for making 'sexist remarks' toward Private Maria Aldez. [Statement by Pvt. Aldez attached] Disciplinary Action: none.<br>Notes: Fails to enforce disciple among subordinates. Shows disrespect for superior officers.  
>Recommendation: Immediate disciplinary action.<br>Action Report, 22.11.2176: Lt. Shepard held the western border of the colony against overwhelming odds.  
>Recommendation: Honor with Star of Terra. Shepard's physical attractiveness presents propaganda opportunity.<p>

30.11.2176 to 21.12.2176, Transferred Arcturus Station: Assigned to N-Program Special Forces Training.  
>Incident Reports:<br>5.12.2176, 9.12.2176, 15.12.2176: Shepard arrived late for training. Standard disciplinary action applied.  
>21.12.2176: Shepard arrived intoxicated. Attacked Sgt. Roy, accusing him of being a 'murdering pirate'.<br>Notes: Shepard assigned psychological evaluation, possible PTSD from Elysium. Training temporarily suspended.  
>Councillor's Report: Subject uncooperative. No obvious trauma. Recommend honorable discharge.<p>

15.1.2177: Shepard awarded Star of Terra for actions on Elysium.  
>Note: Shepard refused to wear her dress uniform, and disrupted the ceremony. The medal was discovered later by the janitorial staff, under the podium.<br>Recommendation: Honorable discharge.  
>Appended 16.1.2177: File requested by Spectre Nihlus Kryik.<p>

21.1.2177 to 9.9.2178: N-Program training resumed.  
>Result: Shepard assigned N4 Status.<br>Incident Reports: None  
>Notes: Shepard remains disrespectful of authority, while consistently performing beyond program parameters. Her natural leadership abilities and criticism of the SA make her a liability.<br>Shepard shows extraordinary biotic/physical coordination, in excess of high-end L2 capacity. Neural scans show possible implant modification, but Shepard denies the possibility. Also skilled in system hacking.  
>Implant modification is an extremely delicate procedure, requiring sophisticated equipment and advanced training. If Shepard had undergone such a procedure, there would be records. -CMO<br>Biometric ID chip malfunction noted in medical report. Second incident. Sabotage suspected, but no record of illegal ID transmission software found on Shepard's omnitool.  
>Recommendation: White Ops and Council-cooperative missions only.<br>Appended 21.9.2178: File requested by Spectre Nihlus Kryik.

7.10.2178: Assigned to Torfan Operation, under Cdr. John Battur.  
>Incident Reports:<br>13.10.2178: Disobeyed direct orders. Rescued two marine privates from enemy forces. No allied casualties. Disciplinary Action: none.  
>15.10.2178: Shot Cdr. John Battur in the shoulder to prevent killing of Batarians. Shepard's squad confirms Batarians unarmed and surrendered. Disiplinary Action: Suspended from active duty pending formal hearing.<br>Note: Shepard displays tendency to disarm and disable opponents.  
>Appended 17.10.2178: File requested by Spectre Nihlus Kryik.<p>

30.10.2178: Formal Hearing with regards to incident on 15.10.2178.  
>Conclusion: Shepard awarded Medal of Valor for courageous conduct in defense of the Citadel Convention's Laws of War. Cdr. Battur transferred to Recruitment.<br>Notes: Spectre Nihlus Kryik observing. Shepard dismissive of SA statement regarding Batarian conflict; suggests SA expansion into Hegemony territory responsible for attacks.  
>Recommendation: none.<p>

16.1.2179 to 21.12.2180: Transferred to Arcturus Station for N6 Interplanetary Combatives Training.  
>Result: Shepard assigned N7 status with full honor. Promoted to Lt. Cdr.<br>Incident Reports: none.  
>Notes: Leadership and combat abilities make Shepard a prime asset, but she remains disruptive to traditional command structures.<br>Recommendation: High visibility or cooperative assignments.

12.1.2181 to 25.8.2181: Transferred to _SSV Kyoto_ as marine commander, under Captain Li Kate. Ship assignment: High visibility anti-piracy patrol.  
>Action Report, 17.4.2181: <em>SSV Kyoto<em> ambushed by pirates. Shepard made XO by Cpt. Li after XO Kamai is KIA.  
>Notes: The <em>Kyoto<em>'s crew responded well to Lt. Cdr. Shepard's unconventional leadership style, and she performed an XO's duties admirably.  
>Recommendation: Supplementary training in ship operations and tactics.<p>

5.9.2181 to 21.12.2181: Transferred to Arcturus Station for Ship Command, Operations, and Tactics training.  
>Notes: Exceptional score in tactics and VI systems.<br>Recommendation: Placement as XO on a frigate.

5.1.2182 to 16.3.2183: Transferred to _SSV Anqing_ as XO. Ship assignment: Recon and infiltration.  
>Action Report, 10.9.2182: During an attempted raid on a suspected pirate base, Shepard's squad discovered it to be a Cerberus outpost. Shepard disobeyed direct orders to withdraw, and proceeded to neutralize the facility.<br>Note: Withdrawal order issued by Defense Council. -Cpt. Sadashiv  
>6.3.2183: File requested by Spectre Nihlus Kryik.<br>Recommendation: Prepared for her own command.

22.3.2183: Promoted to Commander and transferred to _SSV Normandy_.

10.4.2183: Resignation entered.

10.4.2183: Wanted for theft of _SSV Normandy._


End file.
